The 10 Most Popular Kitchen Gadgets and Gear from Our Equipment Reviews

The Best Instant-Read Thermometer

ThermoWorks Thermapen ONE

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There are a lot of reasons for keeping an instant-read thermometer in the kitchen, including reducing is-this-food-cooked paranoia and ensuring your meat is done to actual perfection (and a safe temperature!). When it comes to speed and precision, the Thermapen ONE trumps all others (you can find out more in our full review of instant-read thermometers). It's the one we reach for when we're testing recipes and the one we get super-excited about when it's on sale. It's no surprise the Thermapen is also one of the most-shopped-for tools, consistently.

The Best Flat-Bottomed, Carbon Steel Wok

Yosukata Carbon Steel Wok Pan

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We reviewed flat-bottomed woks last year and came away highly recommending this model from Yosukata. It’s heat-responsive and easy to season and has a helper handle and a main, wooden handle that stays cool to the touch.

The Best Coffee Grinder for Most People

OXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder

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We have several top coffee grinder picks in our review, but you folks seem to really love this model from OXO. Why? Well, it’s our top pick for most home brewers, and it’s reliable, undeniably simple to operate, and under $100. So many great things!

The Best Instant Pot

Instant Pot Pro 8-Quart 10-in-1 Pressure Cooker

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This year, y’all have been buying a lot of Instant Pots. Which makes sense, since there’s a ton to make with them. Our favorite Instant Pot is the Instant Pot Pro. It’s an excellent electric pressure cooker and has helpful usability features, like handles on its cooking pot that keep it from swirling around in the base and a pressure release switch.

The Best Waffle Maker

Cuisinart WAF-F4 Double Flip Belgian Waffle Maker

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Our favorite waffle maker from Cuisinart is a perennial favorite. It heats up fast, cooks quickly, and produces waffles with crisp outsides and fluffy insides. Plus, it makes two large waffles at a time and is very reasonably priced, at about $120.

The Most Powerful Vitamix Blender

Vitamix 5200 Professional-Grade Blender

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The Vitamix 5200 Professional-Grade Blender has been our recommendation for many years, ever since Kenji first reviewed it. It has a tapered blending jar that uber effectively blends, purees, and pulverizes. Plus, it’s simple to operate with just a speed dial and a couple of switches.

The Best Sous Vide Machine (Immersion Circulator)

Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker

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Our readers are sous vide stans. And our two favorite sous vide machines—from Breville and Anova—are always top-sellers. The Breville has a phenomenal app and streamlined, easy-to-operate design, while the Anova has both an onboard display and a WiFi-compatible app. They’re both great! They’re both worth it! (Note: the Breville is currently out of stock everywhere, so we linked to just the Anova above.)

The Very Best Vacuum Sealers

Nesco VS-12 Deluxe Vacuum Sealer

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Anova Precision Vacuum Sealer Pro

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With all that sous vide love, it’s no surprise y’all also want vacuum sealers. Helpful for sous vide as well as food preservation, our favorite vacuum sealers include models from Nesco and Anova. Both are capable of sealing a variety of foods easily, and their seals hold up well to sous vide cooking and long freezer times.

The Best Air Fryer

Instant Vortex Plus 6-Quart 6-in-1 Air Fryer

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We like air fryers—we do! And so do you. Our favorite air fryer, from Instant, has a helpful dial for adjusting the time and temperature and cooked the fastest and most deeply of all the models we tested. There are a lot of other things to recommend about it, which you can read about in our full review. And no: air fryers aren’t the same as standard, convection ovens.

The Best Overall Espresso Machine

Breville Bambino Plus Espresso Machine

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Our favorite espresso machine from Breville has a sleek, streamlined design that makes excellent coffee with very little effort on the user’s part. And while $500 may seem pricey, it’s not that bad for an espresso machine (many cost thousands). And clearly our readers feel the same way.